Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – March 24, 1987

I studied at home until half past eight in the morning. Mehdi went to his friend's house to study. We went to Firouzgar hospital with the bodyguards. Dr. Jazayeri, the parliamentary deputy of the Ministry of Health and Medicine, also came. About 45 war wounded were sleeping in the ward. I greeted everyone. I gave pistachios and flowers. Their condition was not bad. Most of them were wounded in Karbala Panj operation. I gave a short speech to the hospital staff at the amphitheater.

I gave a detailed interview with radio and television about the issues of the Persian Gulf and the statements of the Americans regarding the deployment of our missiles in the Strait of Hormuz and giving notes about the strait and hostages in Lebanon and the rumor of the establishment of a Soviet eavesdropping station in Iran, in exchange for the delivery of 200 Scud-B missiles, and I denied that rumor.

For a few days, my name was not in the media and it was assumed that I have gone to the front and we will soon conduct an operation. Usually, when we have absenteeism these days, it is interpreted like this. I had to appear in the media. As a rule, visiting the injured and conducting interviews is sufficient.

In the evening, Mr. [Ali] Rahmani, my guard who was injured in Karbala Panj, came home on a wheelchair along with four other guards and described the incident of his injury behind the fish canal along with several other IRGC commanders. I gave him a cloth bag sent to me by the governor of Hormozgan. His injury was severe.

I watched TV until the end of the night. Dr. Velayati called for the release of sick French hostages [in a TV program]. I spoke with Prime Minister [Mr. Mirhossein Mousavi] on the phone. He informed about Iraq's attack on Azarpad and said that the Imam said that for the time being, in order to avoid the Americans' confrontation, no practical action should be taken in the Persian Gulf and only give a verbal warning. It was decided that Mr. [Alireza] Moiri would participate in the meeting of [Feridon] Mahdinejad about the McFarlane incident.